Staff Level Paleontologist (Temporary)

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a temporary Staff Level Paleontologist to conduct fieldwork in northeastern Utah for up to 6 months, with potential projects across the western U.S. Responsibilities include supervising a paleontological survey crew, ensuring quality work, and communicating with senior managers. The position involves travel and may require varying work schedules. Compensation varies based on experience, with additional per diem for daily expenses.
About The Opportunity

SWCA Environmental Consultants is hiring a temporary Staff-level Paleontologist for the Salt Lake City office. You will conduct paleontological resources fieldwork in northeastern Utah for projects expected to last up to 6 months. As needed, you will also conduct fieldwork for various projects throughout the western United States (AZ, CA, NV, CO, UT, MT, MN, ND, NM, SD, WY, OR, ID).

Role:

This position is temporary and hourly, with overtime compensated at time and a half. Pay is dependent on experience. The candidate could fill one of our Staff Level roles based on skill and years of relevant experience:
• Paleontological Technician: Typically up to 6 months of experience
• Assistant Staff Paleontologist: Typically up to 1 year of experience
• Staff Paleontologist: Typically up to 2 years of experience

For Assistant Staff and Staff Paleontologist positions, a key element of your job will be to independently supervise a paleontological survey crew in the field. This includes:
• Independently assigning and directing the activities of others on behalf of SWCA, often in remote areas without immediate guidance from senior managers, to ensure quality and on-time delivery;
• Ensuring that employees understand their responsibilities and delegated tasks and being held accountable if crew members under your supervision are not performing their activities correctly, productively, and safely;
• Serving as a conduit of communication between employees and senior managers, including communicating issues to relevant senior managers;
• Receiving and resolving complaints from employees in the field; and
• Monitoring team productivity and providing timely performance feedback, including deciding when disciplinary action is necessary and delivering discipline.

Schedule & Accommodations
• Travel is required. Including overnight and out-of-state travel.
• Schedule: The work schedule may vary depending on need and may include 10 hour days and 5-day or 6-day work weeks. Some weeks work may not be scheduled, or may be scheduled only part-time.
• Housing/Accommodations: Single-occupancy housing accommodations will be provided for the duration of on-site project work, including any non-work days when the employee is required to stay in local temporary accommodation due to project needs.

Compensation & Benefits
• Pay Rate/Range: Paleontological Technician an hourly pay rate of $20.08 - $26.51, Assistant Staff Paleontologist an hourly pay rate of $22.49 - $28.92/hour and a Staff Paleontologist an hourly pay rate of $24.90 - $31.86/hour. Actual pay within this range may depend on experience, qualifications, geographic location, client requirements where applicable, and other factors permitted by law.
• Per Diem: A per diem of $68/day will be provided to cover daily expenses.
• SWCA compensates all travel time and provides vehicles for work-related travel.

Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates. Once we have identified suitable individuals, we may close the application process without prior notice. We appreciate the time and effort invested by all applicants and will carefully consider each submission.

What You Will Accomplish

The Staff-level Paleontologist is a field-based member of the program who will assist with:
• Field surveys
• Construction monitoring
• Excavations
• Fossil salvages, and other field tasks as needed.

Travel is required for this position, including overnight stays, weekend work, and out-of-state travel.

We emphasize thorough, accurate, and efficient collection and recordation of paleontologic, lithologic, and stratigraphic data. Technicians may also assist with data entry, management, and analysis.

Experience And Qualifications For Success
• Education and professional experience in paleontology.
• Minimum one year experience monitoring.
• Regional experience.
• Technicians must demonstrate knowledge of various types of fossils, collection methods, basic field geology skills, such as rock descriptions, measuring stratigraphic columns, and recognizing fossils, including trace fossils.
• Ability to conduct fieldwork for long hours in sometimes inclement weather conditions, including walking up to 10 miles per day, often in rugged terrain; must be able to carry various types of field equipment and supplies.
• Must be comfortable conducting fieldwork in remote areas, if necessary based on project needs.
• Must have the ability to use excavation tools.
• Must have valid driver's license and able to meet SWCA’s driver requirements.

In addition, the following skills are preferred:
• Degree in geology, paleontology, earth sciences or related field.
• Fossil preparation and/or museum curation experience.
• Data management and GIS experience.
• Prior experience with paleontological mitigation projects, including construction monitoring, is highly desirable.
• Ability to qualify as Monitor or Agent on federal permits is highly desirable.

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full spectrum of environmental services. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms.

If you would like to contact SWCA regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the online application process due to a disability, please email accommodations@swca.com or call 480-581-5378. This contact information is for disability accommodation requests only. All other inquiries will not receive a response.

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges on all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

EOE - women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply. At SWCA Environmental Consultants, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, including those with diverse experiences and veterans, to apply. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce enhances creativity, innovation, and overall organizational success.

This position is eligible for our wellness paid time off, employee assistance program and wellness program activities.

SWCA continues to invest deeply in career development programs, delivering our award-winning Career Landscape support resources to accelerate the growth of our staff. We recognize the valuable skills and experiences our internal team members bring to SWCA’s continued success. Qualified internal candidates are encouraged to apply and will be seriously considered for this position. We believe in promoting from within, where possible, providing our existing employees with compelling opportunities to advance their careers.